Game card



Dec. 11, 1962 J. J HAGOPIAN 3,068,010

GAME CARD Filed March 24, 1958 PRESIDENTS ofthe U.S.A. 3 NAME: L ::::l 30 YEARS OF TERM: C:::] ;PARTY: L

2?! tamm DATE; C1112 BIRTH PLACE: IIIIIJ 3,STATE NAME SUCCESSION :IIIII WA mam-310.

THAT'S u/ ws THIRD COFFEE BREAK- INVENTOR.

v v H J' J: HAaoP AN, 31 7 6 v/ ATTo A/E/ Patented Dec. 11, 1962 3,058,010 GAME CARD Jacob J. Hagopian, 597 Ginger Lane, San Jose 28, Calif. Filed Mar. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 723,264 11 Claims. (Cl. 273-l52.l)

This invention relates to games, and more particularly has to do with a novel card for use in a game, and a method of making the card.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 523,953 filed July 25, 1955, now abandoned. In said copending application there was disclosed a game comprising a viewing box into Which a card is inserted so that a source of light, having a frequency different from the frequency of natural light, can be directed onto a portion of the card which contains a message written in a medium that becomes visible only when subjected to a light of said difierent frequency. A preferred arrangement is to employ pictures in conjunction with related visibility printed statements or data headings constituting questions, and the corresponding replies printed with a medium which is not visible under normal illumination. The procedure for using the cards is for a person to attempt to guess the answer to the visibly printed question or statement, and then verify his guess by illuminating the card with ultra-violet light in order to make the correct answer visible.

. The present invention concerns the above-mentioned card and a process for producing the card.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved game card.

Another object is to provide a novel method of producing a game card.

Other and further features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective of a game card made according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIGURES 2, 3, 4, and 5 are plan views of different specific embodiments of the game card of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken through one of the cards, particularly showing the coating applied to the surface of the card.

In one embodiment of the game card of the present invention, a card is utilized upon which certain Words, pictures, or sketches or combinations of words and pictures are marked or printed with two different kinds of marking inks, paints, dyes, and the like, one kind of marking material being invisible in ordinary light but becoming visible upon exposure to light of a frequency different from the frequency of ordinary light; for example, ultraviolet light.

Materials which become fluorescent upon exposure to ultra-violet light are commercially available in the form of paints, inks, chalks, and crayons. The base of these materials may be lead acetate, which appears white under ordinary light but which becomes bright blue in color when exposed to ultra-violet light, or it may be calcium sulphide, which is normally a pale yellow becoming bluegreen under ultra-violet light. Phosphorescent materials may also be used such as aluminum nitride or Zinc sulphide, both of which are normally white in ordinary light but become green upon exposure to ultra-violet light and have the additional effect of retaining the coloration for some time after the exposure.

The more important inorganic compounds which in crystalline form are fluorescent are the sulfide of zinc and cadmium, calcium tungstate, and the halides and silicates of manganese. If a phosphorescent effect is desired, certain activators may be added to the above compounds in the proper proportions and under prescribed heat processing conditions. Among these activators are copper, silver, bismuth, manganese, and lead. Further,

such activators may be used with other inorganic crystalline compounds, which are not naturally fluorescent, to give them the desired fluorescent characteristics. Such convertible materials are calcium sulfide, cadmium tungstate, and cadmium and zinc silicate.

The invention contemplates the preparation of cards, sheets, and the like using ordinary paints, inks, chalks, crayons, and the like for the statement of questions of an educational nature and the supplying of answers to these questions marked upon the same card or sheet using one of the fluorescent or phosphorescent materials de scribed heretofore, so that upon placing the card or sheet into a receptacle having a source of ultra-violet light, the normally invisible answer becomes visible. The invisible marking may be by means of either a fluorescent or a phosphorescent material that is normally colorless or that is the same color. as the background color of the card or sheet. The invisible marking may be bold or in relief.

Not only may cards or sheets be prepared with ques tion and answer context, but also they may be prepared as cartoons having certain parts completed with visible marking material and other parts with invisible marking material. Plain cards may also be marked using crayons or inks having fluorescent material to provide secret messages which are revealed upon exposure of the cards to ultra-violet light. Many other variations of interest as an amusement are also possible with the present'game card.

In producing a game card, care must be taken to match the color of the paper stock with the natural color of the marking medium so that the marking will have the greatest degree of invisibility under natural light. A game card that is suitable for use in this game was prepared in the following manner. The ink was formulated from the following ingredients:

1 lb. zinc sulfide copper activated pigment (U.S. Radium Corp. #2210) 4 lb. precipitated calcium carbonate (Diamon'dAlkali Co. Multifex MM) 1 lb.-% alkyd resin L-4l (Lawter Chemical Co.)

1 /2 lb. 100% alkyd resin L-45 (Lawter Chemical Co.)

The above ingredients are combined and the mixture is milled for a suh'icient time for the pigment to become thoroughly dispersed. Following this milling 0.1 ounce cobalt napthenate is added for promoting drying after printing.

The ink so produced has a slightly off-white color, which may be characterized as a light buff color. A perfectly white ink, that will give fluorescent effects is diflicult to obtain, since certain pigments in fluorescent inks produce tints under natural light. In the above-mentioned ink, the zinc sulfide pigment tends to give the ink a slightly greenish tint. However, the calcium carbonate in the formula masks the greenish tint.

A paper stock which has been found highly suitable for use with the described ink is a paper sold under the commercial name of Louisiana Colored Tag (Ivory) and manufactured by the Zellebach Paper Company. This paper stock has a color which matches, to a suitable degree, the natural tint of the ink.

In some cases it has been found that, even where the color of the paper stock is matched closely to the natural tint of the ink, there is still some visible contrast between the paper and the ink due to differences in t: surface characteristics of the paper and the ink. These differences in surface characteristics cause variations in reflection coefficient and light scattering, causing a slight amount of visible contrast between the ink and the paper. In accordance with the present invention a thin coating of varnish is applied over the entire card, or at least the portion on which the ink markings appear so that the reflection coelficient and light scattering characteristic is uniform. It has been found that a natural varnish cannot be used because of ultra-violet absorption. Synthetic varnishes consisting of acrylic or alkyd resins have been found to be satisfactory. A commercially available, satisfactory varnish is known as High Gloss Overprint Varnish #1372-4 manufactured by Sinclair and Valentine Company.

In FIGURE 6 a section of a game card is illustrated, the ink markings being indicated by reference numerals 12 and the varnish coating by reference numeral 14.

In FIGURE 1 one specific form of the game card is illustrated. This card comprises a body portion 15 of a predetermined size on which a statement is marked in conventional or visible ink, while the term FALSE (shown in phantom lines) is produced thereon in ink that is invisible, becoming visible only when subjected to a particular light other than natural light.

In FIGURE 2 a game card 20 is shown wherein a picture 22 of a famous person and certain data headings 24 are printed or marked in visible ink on a body portion25, while the data corresponding to the headings 24 are marked in boxes 26 in invisible ink.

In FIGURE 3 a map 30, having -a particular state of the United States blacked-in, is shown. The blacked-in state and the data headings 34 are reproduced in visible ink. The corresponding data 36, shown in phantom lines, are ,marked in invisible ink.

A picture 40 of a zebra is shown in FIGURE 4. The picture. and the data headings 42 ,are drawn or printed in visible" ink while the data corresponding to the headings is produced in invisible ink.

Similarly, in FIGURE a game card 50 is illustrated wherein cartoon characters 52, 53, and 54 and one comment 56 are produced in visible ink while an appropriate comment 58 (shown in phantom lines) is printed in invisible ink.

It will be apparent that the game card of the present invention lends itself to many variations of guessing games wherein the correct or appropriate answer to a visible marking is printed, written or marked in invisible ink.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel game card and a novel method of producing the card.

In the following claims the term marking will be used to indicate genericly the several methods by which the visible and invisible marking materials may be applied, such as by printing, writing drawing, inscribing and the like.

Also, the term card stock will be used to indicate any of the various materials which are suitable for game cards and have those properties of paper stock which will permit the above-mentioned marking materials to be received by the material in such a manner that the visible marking materials contrast clearly with the card stock under ordinary light, and the invisible marking materials blend into the material of the card under ordinary light and are in contrast therewith when subjected to ultra-violet light or the like.

Further, the term representations will be used to genericly indicate all the various forms of pictures, cartoons, maps, data headings, questions, and other representations which may be said to contain an inherent question and form the question part of the game and are marked on the card in visible marking material, and also to indicate the hidden answers or appropriate comments that are invisible under ordinary light.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of making a game card comprising the steps of cutting a piece of card stock to a predetermined size to provide a blank, marking a first representation in which a question is inherent on a first portion of said blank with a material that is visible in ordinary light, and marking the answer to said question on a second portion of the blank spaced from said first portion with a material that is visible only when exposed to a light having a frequency different than the frequency of ordinary light.

2. A method of making a game card comprising the steps of cutting a pieceof card stock to a predetermined size to form a card blank, placing a first representation in the form of a question on a first portion of the blank with a material that is visible in ordinary light, and placing the answer to said inherent question on a second portion of the blank spaced from said first portion with a material that has a color substantially the same as the color of the card when exposedto ordinary light and has a contrasting color when subjected to a light having a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

3. Agarne card comprising a body portion of predetermined size, means on one part of said body portion providing a first representation in which a question is inherent, said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another part of said body portion spaced from said one part providing the answer to said question in a material that is visible only when exposed to light of a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

4. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size providing a blank, means on one portion of said blank providing a first representation in the form of a question, said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another portion of the blank-providing the answer to said question in a material that has a natural color substantially the same as the color of said blank when exposed to ordinary light, but has a contrasting color when exposed to 'a light having a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

5. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size providing a blank, means on one portion of said blank providing a first representation in which a question is inherent, said representation being marked on said blank with an ink that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another portion of the blank providing the answer to said question marked on said blank with an ink that has a natural color substantially the same as the color of said blank when exposed to ordinary light but has a contrasting color when exposed to a light having a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

6. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size providing a blank, means on one portion of said blank providing a first representation of a material that is visible in ordinary light, means on another portion of the blank providing a second representation of a material that has a natural color substantially the same as the color of said blank when exposed to ordinary light, but has a contrasting color when exposed to a light having a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light, and a coating of varnish disposed over the portion of the blank having said second representation thereon, said varnish being a synthetic varnish consisting of acrylic resins.

7. A game card comprising a body portion of prededetermined size providing a blank, means on one portion of said blank providing a first representation of a material that is visible in ordinary light, means on another portion of the blank providing a second representation of a material that has a natural color substantially the same as the color of said blank when exposed to ordinary light, but has a contrasting color when exposed to a light having a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light, and a coating of varnish disposed over the portion of the blank having said second representation thereon, said varnish being a synthetic varnish consisting of alkyd resins.

8. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size, means on one part of said body portion providing a first representation in the form of a map, Said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary lig t, and means on another part of said body portion providing the name of the locality shown on said map, said name being made on said body portion in a material that is visible only when exposed to a light of a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

9. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size, means on one part of said body portion providing a first representation in the form of a picture of an animal, said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another part of said body portion providing the name of said animal, said name being made on said body portion in a material that is visible only when exposed to a light of a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

10. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size, means on one part of said body portion providing a first representation in the form of a portrait of a person, said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another part of said body portion providing the name of said person, said name being made on said body portion in a material that is visible only when exposed to a light of a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

11. A game card comprising a body portion of predetermined size, means on one part of said body portion providing a first representation in the form of cartoon characters, said representation being made on said body portion in a material that is visible in ordinary light, and means on another part of said body portion providing a comment appropriate for the cartoon, said comment being made on said body portion in a material that is visible only when exposed to a light of a frequency other than the frequency of ordinary light.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,811,322 Klausner et a1 June 23, 1931 2,015,170 Ward Sept. 24, 1935 2,193,638 Morton Mar. 12, 1940 2,341,884 Sowa Feb. 15, 1944 2,694,264 Seaton Nov. 16, 1954 2,837,836 Morawitz June 11, 1958 

